The season for Kenya to shine on the world stage is around the corner and athletes hoping to represent the country at the London Olympics in August are hard at training.
Kenyan athletes have dominated the world stage for years now and to commemorate them, as well as showcase their achievements, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, (Nock) is putting up a museum and hall of fame in a newly-proposed Olympic Plaza.

The proposed building which will cost Sh1.1 billion to put up is expected to earn Nock an income and to carry out its mission of promoting the Olympic spirit and movement in the country by sponsoring more athletes to take part in the games.

Hall of fame

People will get to know the achievements and celebrate Olympic heroes, both local and international, in a rotating museum and hall of fame to be put up on the top floor of the proposed plaza in the Upper Hill area of Nairobi.

Its location will allow visitors to the public space to view different angles of Nairobi as the room rotates giving spectacular views of the city.

“You will be able to see the entire Nairobi, a 360 view, from that floor. Located on a hill the building will offer a very salient view where people can relax,” said Godfrey Mutuma, a director at Dominion Valuers Ltd who did the feasibility study and are selling space at the property.

“Our aim is to create some form of movement here, keeping it within the Olympic spirit.”

To complement the museum, the top floor will also have a roof garden with a viewing deck, where guests can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of Nairobi from a vantage point.

The building’s concept is a twin tower and only one side of the rooftop will rotate.

Vincent Ochieng, the project architect says the rotating portion of the floor is on a turntable system supported by stainless steel structures embedded in strong concrete while the rotation mechanism is to be synchronised by a motor powered system.

The building is touted to be a green project that will use different conservation measures including rainwater harvesting systems to help water the rooftop garden, which will have flowers and grass planted on the water-proofed concrete floor.

It will also feature solar glass, especially in the museum to allow in natural light and the panoramic view but it will not let in heat.

Regular income

Situated on a hill, the 16-storey Olympic Plaza is expected to be a major attraction in Upper Hill, which has several interesting architectural buildings.The objective of the commercial building is to help Nock sustain its operations and be able to send more Kenyans to future Olympics.
“We have to sustain ourselves so we can support more of our sports personalities so we decided to build something of high standards to give us a regular income,” Kipchoge Keino, Nock’s chairman and, himself an Olympic gold medallist, said.

Part of the office suites will be sold while the rest will be retained by Nock. Apart from the museum, there will also be a library, gym and restaurants in the premises.

The concept of a rotating rooftop floor is not new in Nairobi. Kenyatta International Conference Centre, built in the 60s, is home to the once famous rotating restaurant on the 28th floor.

Though the rotating floor has remained dormant for years, the KICC’s management says it is working at reviving it to give guests a 360 degree view of the city.

finally!! Glad to see that kenyan athletes are getting the recognition they deserve as world champions. However this is not enough, sports tourism can be a major segment of our economy if only the government invested more into it.

finally!! Glad to see that kenyan athletes are getting the recognition they deserve as world champions. However this is not enough, sports tourism can be a major segment of our economy if only the government invested more into it.

Work on the 16-storey Olympic Plaza, which will house the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock), has started.The Chairman of Nock, Kipchoge Keino, said they hope that the commercial office development will be complete in two-and-half-years. Meanwhile, they have relocated to temporary offices on Plaza 2000 along Mombasa Road.Architectural impression of Olympic Plaza front view [PHOTOS: COURTESY]Nock Secretary general FK Paul, said the project will cost Sh1.1 billion.The modern office block, along Kenya Road in the ultra-modern Upper Hill District, is on a twin-tower design.Offices will be let to private companies and the Government.There are restaurants, basement and above ground parkings, and supporting amenities.Dr Keino said they have, as an afterthought, decided to have an ultra-modern gymnasium in the building.Its special features will be a rotating floor with a Hall of Fame and Museum to honour Olympic medallists and heroes, high level viewing deck, state of the art office suites, and security screens.The Olympic Plaza has been designed by Vincent Ochieng’."The Project Concept is derived from the abstracted form of the Olympic Rings and the Olympic Torch. This is to evoke the spirit of the Olympics and dynamism.

is it just me or does this building look extremely unimpressive? I cant see how it will get a lot of tenants in an area where there are many high-rise buildings coming up

and to think the NOC of a great sporting country like Kenya cannot get the funding they need from the Govt that they have to venture into constructing their own building.... Kip Keino should know better. Particularly after the farce of a performance that the Kenya team showed in London 2012. NOC should focus on its core function

is it just me or does this building look extremely unimpressive? I cant see how it will get a lot of tenants in an area where there are many high-rise buildings coming up

and to think the NOC of a great sporting country like Kenya cannot get the funding they need from the Govt that they have to venture into constructing their own building.... Kip Keino should know better. Particularly after the farce of a performance that the Kenya team showed in London 2012. NOC should focus on its core function

I think its the render, The building is gonna be very different seeing that KCB is just steps away( and what they are constructing is impressive) an ugly building would shame upperhill.. The best part is the Rotating restaurant..

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"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of." - Confucius﻿

By Peter Lugaria, CBR Staff Writer | March 15, 2014
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) is building a rotating museum and hall of fame in Nairobi to celebrate the achievements of Olympic champions.

The facility, which will be located on the top floor of the proposed 16-storey Olympic Plaza in the Upper Hill area of Nairobi, will allow visitors a 360 degree view of the city as the room rotates.

“The rotating portion of the floor is on a turntable system supported by stainless steel structures embedded in strong concrete while the rotation mechanism is to be synchronised by a motor powered system,” says Vincent Ochieng, the project architect.

The museum will be complemented by a rooftop garden with a viewing deck, where visitors can relax and enjoy panoramic views of Nairobi. It will feature a hall-of-fame for Olympic champions.

The Olympic Plaza, whose excavation work commence April 2012, is located on Kenya Road, Upper Hill – closely opposite Crowne Plaza Hotel. The building is scheduled for completion later this year.

The project is aimed to help Nock sustain its operations and to carry out its mission of sponsoring more Kenyan athletes to take part in future competitions.

Apparently the building is scheduled for completion later this year anyone with updates?